“It’s important that you know your status,” said Dr. Gregory William Branch, director of the Department of Health and Human Services in Baltimore County, in a statement. “Early detection and treatment leads to an increase in life span and a reduction in the spread of the infection.”

For more information on Baltimore County’s World AIDS Day testing opportunities or regularly scheduled HIV testing clinics, call 410-887-2437 or visit www.baltimorecountymd.gov/go/gettested.

The Harford County Health Department will offer free walk-in confidential or anonymous HIV testing from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday at 1 N. Main Street in Bel Air.